Redemption Might Not Be So Far Away
by mahwish1
Summary: "You will never be free. Wherever you go, I'll be there in your every thought. We share the same blood, Kai, the same name." Kai's gaze was strong with such hatred toward the man sitting right in front of him. "I'm nothing like you." – How can Kai escape from the endless torture Voltaire caused him? Can a certain brunette help him through it?
1. Welcoming the Hidden Past

Hello everyone!

This is my third Beyblade story, but I've spent the most time on this one. It's very close to my heart as I've put a lot of emotions writing this, so I really hope you guys will enjoy it.

I've actually used a Bollywood song as inspiration, which is called "Reh Gayi Ankahee" (Story left Untold) from the movie Lootera (Robber).

Please, remember to give me your review because it would help me so much with my writing. ^^

Anyway, here is the first chapter - Enjoy.

Disclaimer – I do not own Beyblade.

* * *

_**Welcoming the Hidden Past**_

_But They Told Me  
A Man Should Be Faithful  
And Walk When Not Able  
And Fight Till The End  
But I'm Only Human Everyone's Taking Control Of Me  
Seems That The World's  
Got A Role For Me  
I'm So Confused  
Will You Show To Me  
You'll Be There For Me  
And Care Enough To Bear Me_

* * *

Years had gone by after the World Championship at BEGA – 7 years to be exact. The original Bladebreakers were adults now and had their own lives outside of Beyblading. They Beybladed once in a while as it was a bit hard for them to put it aside – especially if one's work was related to Beyblade and helping others to improve. It had been years since the Bladebreakers had been together as a team. It was settled among themselves that the Championship at BEGA would be their very last battle to attend before they would retire from the sport. After all, they had already written their legacy for the whole world to see.

Tyson had devoted himself to the sport, helping and teaching others to sharpen and hone their skills. He and his brother, Hiro, had opened a Sports Center where everyone could come and train while getting professional help as well. Daichi had stayed with Tyson to help him out at the Center. Taken interest in the idea, he decided to stick around for a few years. Tyson and his family managed to help him with settling down to a new environment which he wasn't used to, to begin with. He even managed to finish his schooling right after the third championship.

Their Chinese friend, Ray, had gone back to his home country, as he wanted to help the best way he could at the village he lived in. He had kept himself busy with spending time with Mariah and they had been together for almost 5 years now. Max had gone home as well, visiting his parents in America. He stayed there to finish up his education, and he kept close contact with the others and managed to stay in touch with a woman with long blue hair, named Mariam. They had gotten closer through the years and their feeling for each other soon turned into love.

Kenny still spent a lot of time with Tyson and made sure to keep him in line – even though with experience it was still a tough job to handle. Through the years he had gotten a degree in engineering which surprised no one as everyone knew how good he was in that field. Hilary had matured over the years as well. She had taken a degree in Japanese literature and was currently an assistant in Mr. Dickenson's office, handling all the paperwork concerning Beyblading. She had always wanted to be a part of it and she felt like this was her chance to finally prove something to herself.

Kai was pretty much the same as well. He talked less, but had opened up just a little bit and made sure to keep up with everything that was happening. He was very busy now as he had to take care of his company, Hiwatari Enterprises, which he had become heir to. In other words, everyone was pretty busy and spread out in different continents around the world. That was until a few months ago, when Mr. Dickenson had arranged for the Bladebreakers to reunite as a team to take place in the World Championships.

They had just watched Max finish his battle, resulting in a win. They needed one more win to retain their title as World Champions. And they were sure victory would be theirs. At least that's what Tyson had said. But the female member of the group was rather skeptical about it. The team they were up against was much stronger than what they had anticipated. She hoped Tyson was right about winning the title this year.

She sat on the bench with the others as she saw the stoic Team Captain walk up to the Bey-Dish where hundreds of roars and cheers could be heard – mostly females. She bit her lip as the battle started.

Hilary was afraid. Not of Kai, but what he was capable of. She knew he was a strong blader – probably the strongest! And she also knew nothing would get in his way of getting what he wanted – even if he had to risk himself. Ironically he had already been there seven years ago with the battle with Brooklyn. She would never forget the state Kai was in after he had defeated him.

That was the one thing she was afraid of – witnessing him getting hurt. But why? Why did she suddenly care about the team captain who was cold and distant?

Oh, who was she kidding? The truth was she had started to care ever since she joined the team years ago. She hoped one day she would be able to get through his hard shell and see the real, Kai Hiwatari.

She tore away from her thoughts and looked up at the Blader, who had every eye in the stadium fixed on him. Suddenly the Battle stopped with a huge blast, which shook the place and smoke surrounded everything.

She clenched her fist and took a step forward, not able to take the pressure anymore. "KAI!" she screamed at the top of her lungs after the Phoenix Prince.

Had he won the battle? Was he okay? Was he breathing?

Moments later, which felt like hours, the smoke cleared and a fist rose up into the air, his knees solid on the ground. Bloodied and beaten – but he had won. Kai Hiwatari had won the battle.

They had once again won the title of World Champions. They had all gone out to celebrate at a restaurant, and even though Kai had complained about it, the others had somehow managed to take him with them. One thing was sure; the Russian Blader had gone soft – maybe 10 %?

* * *

A few days later Kai stood shirtless in front of the mirror of the bathroom at Tyson's house. He touched the scars on his chest which remained with him for the past years while growing up. Some were from his previous battle a couple of days ago and others were engraved into his body like old tattoos. No one knew about them other than his friends back in Russia. No matter how hard he tried to forget or avoid them, they were there to remind him of the time he had survived a rather unusual childhood alongside Tala and the others.

Taught to be unemotional soldiers so they could steal everyone's bit beasts and conquer the world – yes, all thanks to Boris Balkov and Voltaire Hiwatari; he, who shared the same last name as him.

A familiar memory crept into his mind. A memory he could never get rid of no matter how hard he tried.

_Voltaire Hiwatari and Boris Balkov – the men behind the misery of hundreds of young souls were in jail and finally set to be executed. Kai had traveled back to Russia to testify against the two men alongside with Tala, Bryan and Ian._

_Kai stood by the large window at the back of his living room. Beside him on the table laid an important file with documents he had read about his family business; "Hiwatari Enterprise"._

_He had his hands in the pockets of his dress pants, distracted by the trail of thoughts invading his mind. Today was a very important day of his life and, truth be told, he thought this day would never come._

_His thoughts were put on hold when he heard someone come into the living room. He didn't need to turn around to see who it was. There was no long conversation exchanged between the two men. Far from it. It was simple and quiet with just two words which held so much deeper meaning._

_"It's time."_

_Kai turned around and saw his friend, Tala wearing a light blue shirt with a black tie. He nodded at him and walked out of the room._

_Kai, Tala, Spencer, Bryan and Ian drove in two separate cars. They knew every journalist would be there to either get a glimpse of them or a possible interview._

Scene – Point break

_Even back in Japan, Mr. Dickenson and everyone else made sure to closely follow the trial, as all were concerned about the team player. They were seated in the office lounge of BBA. They alongside with Mr. Dickenson wanted to make sure to put an end to all this._

_They turned their attention on the screen in front of them._

_A woman in her mid-thirties with short brown hair stood a few feet away from the camera with her ID strap hung around her neck as she gripped the microphone in her hand. Behind the woman was the court building. Her eyes were fixed straight into the red camera lens where she spoke._

_"Today history will be written on National Television. Today we are going to witness Russia's most influenced family go through a trial for their endless crimes, abuses and torture which happened behind closed doors at the famous Abbey here in the Capital, Moscow."_

_"The two men who are prosecuted are Boris Balkov and Voltaire Hiwatari. The Abbey was run by Balkov, who was reportedly behind the Biovolt Corporation as well. Other prosecuted to the case are said to be guilty as well and will soon be put to trail with consequences to follow. But the main person behind misery of the thousands crushed souls – he who did not even spare his own blood related grandson. Yes, we're talking about the Hiwatari Family."_

_"Being the most influenced person in Russia, Voltaire Hiwatari might serve the death sentence in near future. It looks like it's going to be a tough and emotional court trail – Especially for those who have been their victims since an early age. The four witnesses we're talking about are the famous Beybladers; Tala Ivanov, Spencer Patrov, Bryan, Kuznetsov and Ian Papov. We're going to expect them shortly and hope that we can get a few statements from them before going inside the court room."_

_Everyone who sat watching carried a serious expression on their faces – after all it was never easy to watch._

_"Moving on to the most important person of today's trial is the man himself; Kai Hiwatari. How is this going to affect Hiwatari Enterprises? Will he be able to carry it forward? Or will we see something different coming along the way? All we know for now is that the Abbey has been shut down and the government has taken over the place."_

_"However the question is whether the court will finally give justice to the thousands of innocent soul's struggling at the Abbey. Will their misery come to an end; this is the question we will get answers to in a few hours."_

_The woman reached a hand up to her ear as if she was getting instructions. A few seconds later she turned her attention back on the camera._

_"We've just got the permission to publish something. We're got some new important detail on the case. The press has gotten its hands on new confidential information considering the Abbey – A Jane Doe was living at the Abbey, who was never identified until a few days ago. A girl was living at the Abbey."_

_Everyone who was sitting watching the newsfeed carried puzzled yet serious expressions._

_"A girl?"_

_"What's that about?" Daichi asked._

_"You know what they're talking about, Mr. Dickenson?" Ray asked as he turned his attention toward him._

_The elder man took a deep breath. "I am afraid so yes. I tried to do something to make it come out in the open, but nothing happened. No trail, no evidence. The poor girl suffered through so much," he took a small pause._

_"What happened to her?" a soft whisper spoke as Hilary was almost afraid to know the answer._

_"She died from her concussions." A heavy silent roamed in the room. "It's a shame that I could not do anything to stop their misery, I could not help them all. But today, both Kai and Tala have managed to do so. They have seen a lot of ups and downs in their lives. Yet they managed to become well known men over the years." They all nodded._

_The news reporter gripped the mike and continued with sharing the information she had. "..The girl's name was Valeriya Pashkov, who lived and trained to be a beyblader alongside with everyone else. We have been informed that she lived under severe circumstances and died during an accident which happened at the Abbey. But the question is whether someone was behind the accident? Or is there something we don't know? Hopefully we'll get some answers soon."_

_Two black cars held at the tall white building where the press tried to come close at. Everyone knew who the car belonged to, as every newspaper and news station had covered up the story about the famous and rich family, Hiwatari._

_The brown haired journalist caught something with her eyes and looked back to the camera. "We can see that they have already arrived." The camera went toward the other side to follow what was going on._

_Bryan, Spencer and Ian came out from the first car and tried to head toward the building, wading through the press._

_Kai and Tala exited the other car and were immediately surrounded. Kai stood buttoning the top button of his suit and walked through the swarm of people._

* * *

_Tyson's jaw almost dropped to the ground as he looked at the team captain. "Woah, look at that!"_

_Hilary couldn't help but admire what she was witnessing._

_The phoenix Balder wasn't wearing his trademark clothes. He was wearing a white shirt with a grey suit and pants with a black thin tie._

_"Who knew Kai would wear a suit!" Tyson said._

_"He looks different, but good" Max said._

_Mr. Dickenson couldn't help but chuckle. Even though they were older now, it still amazed him how their relationship had evolved both as team mates and friends. "Now that's what wearing a suit does to you, young man."_

_Daichi couldn't help but get up from his seat in pure excitement. "Hey, I can wear a suit too!"_

_Max patted his back. "Sure you can, Daichi."_

* * *

Kai's P.O.V.:

_They returned their attention back on the TV. Kai and Tala were still trying to walk passed the many journalists._

_"Mr. Hiwatari, how are you feeling? What are you views about the case?"_

_"How does it finally feel to be free?"_

_"How is the case going to affect Hiwatari Enterprise?"_

_"Are you going to be the lawful heir of the family business?"_

_"What are your comments about your grandfather?"_

_Kai stopped in his tracks by the mention of the word – the word he did not wish to hear. He was about to turn around and answer, but caught Tala's eyes telling him not to do it and get inside._

_They finally got passed the many questions and made it inside. It was the last shot of them shown on TV._

_The trial had started a couple of months ago and today was the last day of the prosecutor's lives. But before the procedure could proceed, they needed to see the man who had played an important part in destroying their lives._

_A police officer led them inside to a white room. Boris Balkov sat on a metal chair at the center of the small room. His hands were cuffed in front of him. He raised his gaze upon the four men in front of him with a satisfied yet creepy expression on his face._

_"Ah, I see you all came to visit me."_

_There was a silence between them all, until it was broken by Bryan._

_"It's the last day of your life, Boris, why miss the opportunity to see the look on your face?"_

_He snickered at the comment. There was something about this man that made them feel sick. "You're not going to get rid of me that easy! Before you know it there'll be someone else to hunt you down – you're always going to be on the run – never free."_

_Spencer took a step forward. "The only man who's never going to be free is you! We'll make sure that you suffer to the fullest – feel every pain you've caused on us and every other human being."_

_"I've made you all men. I've made you all soldiers. If it wasn't for me, you would have been pathetic human beings who would have craved for love from their parents. I've made you all!"_

_"You're wrong! We've made ourselves." Ian told the man with hatred in his eyes._

_Tala clenched his jaw as he starred at the purple haired man in front of him. He was the source of their pain and the reason they had never known their families. Families the man had killed so he could take them to the Abbey and train them to be soldiers; all a part of his sick plan._

_"At least we haven't licked someone else's feet to get what we wanted. But you've been there over and over again haven't you, Boris? How was it? What happened to you that you turned into such a bastard of a man?" Tala said with a hint of challenge in his voice._

_"How dare you, you piece of.."_

_"We dare because we can!" The redhead spoke never taking his eyes away from the man in front of him._

_There was a silence between them all._

_"Do you remember their names which you've caused so much misery? Do you remember her name? The girl you killed before our eyes. The one you murdered despite her cries. She had done nothing wrong yet she became a victim of your brutal incident."_

_A sinister like smile appeared on the purple haired man. "Oh. Now I see where this is going. Are you regretting what happened to her – what we did? She had it coming. She got what she deserved, boys!"_

_"She deserved nothing but good. It's because of you she lost her life. " Kai said as he jammed his fist into the cold steel table._

_Boris looked straight at Kai while he spoke. "She could have stopped collecting information regarding you all and maybe she would have been alive today. It's your fault she had to die. You're the sole cause of everything, Kai." His words didn't matter to him. Not anymore. They had no effect or meaning toward Kai._

_Bryan looked at the others and slowly the room was filled with laughter – an enjoyable laughter._

_Boris looked at the five men with a confused expression. "What are you laughing about?"_

_"Nothing! It's just that.. You're a dead man within an hour." It was rather weird to see such a scene unfold before them, but they didn't care._

_Boris looked around rapidly as if something was wrong._

_Kai stepped forward and looked him into the eyes. "Just like the man you call master!"_

_Ian interrupted, "You know, they were talking about doing it by the electric chair."_

_"Or by hanging." Ian spoke._

_"Actually they were thinking on letting us do it, you know because of the torture and all." Bryan said._

_"They were? Why wasn't I informed about this?" Tala turned to Bryan with a faked confused look._

_"Maybe they wanted it to be a surprise?" Kai said._

_"What should we start with then? The fingers? The legs? The face?" Tala smirked as he asked._

_They enjoyed watching the man's expression. They wanted him to be afraid. Afraid of death and begging for his life._

_"You're nothing but a pitiful man who has been living in the shadow of another man!"_

_The five men decided to leave the man as they walked toward the door. Kai took a look back and spoke._

_"Her name was Valeriya Pashkov. Now you've got what you deserve, Boris!" with that said they walked out of the white room, leaving him behind with an unsatisfied expression on his face._

_The four guys were lead down another white hall by an officer. Kai clenched his jaw and knew what the next move was. They would not let her death be in vain. She would get the justice she rightfully deserved._

_"You sure you want to do this alone?" Tala asked his friend. Kai nodded and the police officer opened the door. Inside the room was none other than Voltaire._

_There he was sitting on a chair with both of his hands on the table, cuffed together._

_"Even after all these years, you still came to see me."_

_"Wouldn't miss your death for anything in the world."_

_"You will never be free. Wherever you go, I'll be there in your every thought. We share the same blood, Kai, the same name."_

_His gaze was strong with such hatred toward the man sitting right in front of him. "I'm nothing like you."_

_"Oh yes you are, no matter how much you deny it. The damage is already done, Kai. I've used you to get what I wanted and turned you against your own pathetic so called friends."_

_Every muscle in his body tensed as he stared at the man. He just wanted to reach forward and beat the living crap out of him, but he was already on the death sentence._

_Instead the Phoenix blader leaned back into his seat and answered in a relax manner. "Funny how that works, considering you're on the death sentence and I'm a free man. I've got a whole life in front of me, and all I see for you is Hell."_

_Kai continued as he looked at him with an intense gaze, "Let's talk about the company for a second. What is going to happen with it? Maybe I'll just end up selling it to other companies and see how much I can earn? Spend the money or give it all away to charity? Erase your name from everything you've ever owned."_

_Kai noticed the sudden expression change and knew that he had gotten him where he wanted him. He could tell Voltaire didn't like any of what was being said, but he didn't need his opinion. He needed this man to feel pain, to feel unworthy – to suffer._

_"I want you to feel their pain, their misery, their endless screams.. I want you to feel the pain you've caused all of us."_

_Kai stood up from his seat and turned to the door. But before he could walk out he stopped and turned to the side and spoke one last time to the man he had hated his whole life. "Count your last breaths, Voltaire, because death is upon you now and I'll make sure of it". He came out to meet the others. His red-haired friend could read his expression and body language. Tense, just like them. They wanted to get this over with and finally put an end to their living misery._

_The two men got transferred to another room where the procedure was taken place. The last room they would ever see in their lives. This time there was no escaping from prison, no news about these men anymore. Nothing._

_The procedure had finally taken place. "It's over." he heard Bryan say._

Kai closed his eyes with a loud sigh as he came back to reality. He was taught to suppress emotions but he could tell the shield he had put on for years was slowly cracking.

He wanted to forget the past and start over. He succeeded on the professional level as he had managed to establish a new concept for his company, that he was the rightful heir of, Hiwatari Enterprise. He had made a Beyblade company where qualified people were sitting in the right posts. A company where they sponsored young bladers around the world to be better and have a better understanding of what kind of sport Beyblade really was. To help them to be better and enjoy the sport – without human tests and crossing the border of what was wrong and right and most importantly without having the thirst to gain control over the world. Tala, Bryan and Ian had taken care of the business back in Russia while Kai was handling the business in Japan.

But had he succeeded on a personal level? No, far from it. He wanted to start a fresh chapter of his life. But why was it so damn hard to do so? He opened his eyes and looked at himself in the mirror.

Here he was, standing in the bathroom at Tyson's place trying to change the bandages from the wounds he had gotten in his previous battle. Why was he even here? He had his own house downtown, so what was he doing here at his teammate's place? He shook his head and reached out for a T-shirt to put on.

* * *

To Be Continued

What do you think of the first chapter? Was it good? Bad? Tell me your thoughts, so please, do not forget to review and give me your feedback. :)


	2. Holding On and Letting Go

Hey guys!

Thank you so much for reviewing the previous chapter. You all made me so happy and you really encouraged me to keep going on with the story. So thank you so much for reading, following and keeping this one as your favorite.

Anyway, on with the next chapter – I hope you all will like it. So please, do remember to review ^^

Disclaimer: I do not own Beyblade.

* * *

**_Holding On and Letting Go_ **

_Is anybody out there?_  
_Is anybody listening?  
Does anybody really know?  
If it's the end of our beginning,  
A cry  
A rush  
From one breath  
Is all we're waiting for  
Sometimes the one we're taking  
Changes every one before_

* * *

Everyone gathered as usual at Tyson's place where they had decided to stay over for a couple of days – even Kai. Everyone had told him to rest, and take it easy after the battle but the question was would he listen? The female member of the team still worried about their captain and wanted to see how he was taking all this.

Hilary walked down the hall and stood in front of the wooden door. She knocked on it and waited for an answer. No one answered and she reached forward and gently opened the door. She called his name several times to see where he was, and yet again she didn't receive an answer back.

She was unsure whether it was a good idea to go inside or not, but she needed to see him. She needed to see if he was okay – after all it had only been a couple of days since the battle.

Hilary scanned the room and noticed that it was empty and only a couple of things were lying around on the table and his shirt was lying on the bed. Other than that everything else was neatly placed – unlike Tyson, she thought.

She saw light coming from the bathroom and walked closer to it and saw him standing there.

Kai caught a figure standing by the doorway and turned to the side to see who it was. Hilary was stunned when she caught his eyes on her; it was like his eyes were piercing through her very soul. "Uh.. I uh.. I didn't mean to intrude, I was just looking for you and when you didn't answer the door I just came inside.. I hope it's okay with you.."

There was a heavy silence between them.

Kai tore his eyes away from her and continued to wrap up his arm. She could tell he was struggling with it, and her eyes couldn't help but wander to his arm. "Uhm, do you need some help with that?"

A moment later he stopped and just stood there as Hilary caught the signal and walked closer to him so she was standing in front of him. She couldn't help but notice how well formed his body was. 'No wonder; his late hours of training have paid off' she thought to herself.

She started to wrap up his arm and soon enough she had finished bandaging it. Her eyes caught a couple of scars running up his arm – almost like a symmetrical pattern. She could tell that they were old ones compared to those he got a couple of days ago. How did he get these? She hesitated at first but carefully reached forward to touch one of the scars on his arm. "H-how did you get these?"

He clenched his jaw and snapped at her. "None of your business, Tachibana!"

She flinched by the sudden, strong voice he carried. "..I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything.. I was just trying to help.."

"Yeah well, I don't need your help!"

Hilary was hurt by the sudden outburst as she only came here to see how he was doing. She turned around and got out of the room in a hurry. Kai stood back with closed eyes and exhaled loudly. He placed his palms against the white tiles on the wall. He saw the expression she carried when he had snapped at her – her brown orbs had gotten bigger and were shining – Tears. _'Look what you've done, Hiwatari.'_

A few days later everyone was eating dinner together but the only one who wasn't there was Kai – He was in his room. After dinner, Hilary noticed he hadn't eaten anything so she thought to bring a plate of food for him in his room. She bit her lip and gently knocked on the door and came inside. Why was she even trying? It was a lost cause anyway. She entered the room and saw Kai standing by the window with his back toward her. She noticed that he was wearing a white dress shirt and dark blue jeans. She didn't say anything so she simply placed the plate of food on the table and turned around to leave.

"BioVolt."

She stopped in her tracks when she heard him speak. She turned around with a questioning expression on her face. "What?"

"The company called BioVolt. It was them who gave me those scars. Do you know about them?" He turned around to face her.

She stood nodding at his question and noticed that his shirt was unbuttoned and she could see a bit of his exposed chest. "The others told me about them once but they said it wasn't their business to tell and that it was up to you to decide, I guess they wanted to respect your privacy."

He nodded and thought that his teammates were his friends as well. "You might want to sit down if you want to hear the whole story." She couldn't really believe what she was hearing. Was he going to talk? She sat down on the side of the bed while he sat in a chair opposite of her.

"Do you know about Voltaire Hiwatari and Boris Balkov? They were the founders of the company, BioVolt! They wanted to form a special team of bladers who could steal other bit beasts and then take over the world. I was part of the team alongside Tala, Bryan, Spencer and Ian."

He took a small pause before continuing. "They trained us to be soldiers who would not feel any kind of emotions. They made us battle with beyblades, knives and taught us exceptional skills. They made us do stuff that we're not proud of." He paused as a familiar memory crept into his mind. Hilary could tell that talking about his past brought back painful memories. She couldn't believe what she was hearing but on the other hand she was touched that he decided to open up for her. Her, who everyone thought wasn't a part of the original team.

"I almost blew up the whole Abbey when I first tried to lunch Black Dranzer. I was ten years old! Years later, I got convinced that it was the right Bit Beast for me, which resulted in me almost giving up everything and letting Voltaire gain control of me. It made me turn against the team I was captain to," he spoke in a light whisper, "turn against my friends."

He stood up. "If we didn't do as they told us, they would punish us." He turned around as he didn't want her to see this side of him – a side of him that no one had seen or gotten close enough to see.

A familiar memory crept into his mind.

Both Tala and Kai had shared many things with each other. How to survive in the Abbey, how to become better beybladers, how to overcome their own demons, and they had also witnessed something which they both wished they had not.

Kai didn't remember everything – only a few pieces here and there. He and Tala had gotten inside a room with wide glass walls – There was a girl crying on the floor, screaming for help. Begging for her life. Kai remembered trying to reach out for her, trying to make it all stop, trying to protect her but he failed. He had failed his friend, Valeriya Pashkov.

_Tala banged on the glass door several times, trying to make it stop, but it never did. He kept screaming for them to release her and that she hadn't done anything. He watched her struggle. But the men inside ignored their protests and carried on._

All Kai remembered were her green eyes as she looked at him. Her green eyes which were full of fear, pain and sorrow.

_A man was hovering above the girl with a metal rod banging it down on the ground letting the girl know that it was time to say goodbye. Without any sort of warning it came crashing down on her head which took her soul away from her. Her green eyes were open yet lifeless. Blood started to pour from the back of her head as she lay motionless on the ground. Her eyes ended up watching Kai. They were starring right back at the crimson colored eyes._

Hillary's eyes were wide. Had he really gone through so much? He didn't deserve so much pain.

She stood up from the bed and walked toward him, placing a hand on his shoulder. She carefully ran them over his shirt. She slowly moved in front of him and asked in a small whisper. "Can I see them?" He looked at her with a surprised expression. He didn't see any pity in her eyes, no far from it, he only saw hurt and sadness – but why? Why was she feeling the pain of something he had gone through?

"Please?" she whispered as she carefully slid his shirt off of his shoulder so his chest was fully exposed to her. She was in pure shock at what she saw. She couldn't help but bite her lip from what she was feeling. There were scars around his chest area and she noticed one large cut was running up the side of his back.

She reached forward and touched one of his scars, feeling his muscles under her smooth touch. "Does it hurt?"

It took a moment before he responded. "Yeah it did, but not anymore.. Now it's just a memory. A painful memory." She didn't know what came over her or what she was thinking, but she closed her eyes and slowly placed a hand on his chest and leaned forward to kiss one of the scars.

After a few seconds she opened her eyes, her gaze on the hand still placed on his chest. Her cheeks began to get red by what she had just done. Kai was surprised as well but he didn't mind. He placed a finger under her chin and made her slowly look up into his eyes. Before anything could happen further, there was a knock on the door, interrupting them both. "Hey Kai, we're going out for a while, you want to join us later on in the evening?" It was Ray's voice they heard.

Hilary stepped back and bit her lip as she walked toward the other side of the room toward the door. Kai reached for his shirt and started to put it on. Before she could reach for the door, Kai stopped her. "Hey Hills.. Thank you for listening."

She stopped when she heard those words. She couldn't really describe what she was feeling. It was like a dream and she would wake up any time from it. However she turned her head to the side and answered him gently, "I'll be here to listen, Kai. We all are, Tyson, Ray, Max, me – I'll always be here whenever you'll need me".

"Yeah, besides you still need to kiss the other wounds I may have" Hilary couldn't help but blush at his words, heating her face.

She came out from the room and met Daichi and Ray. They were heading out with the others. Daichi raised an eyebrow at her. "Hey what happened to you?"

The brunette couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. "Huh, what do you mean?"

"Why are you all red? Do you have a fever?"

She tucked a loose hair behind her ear and hoped that Kai hadn't heard what Daichi just said. "Oh.. Uh.. N-no, I'm fine"

The phoenix blader came out from his room and walked down to the kitchen to get a glass of water. When he had gotten it he turned around and walked past her while wearing a small smirk on his face.

This did not help her situation at all as she kept blushing, but at the same time she couldn't really believe what she had witnessed. Had she seen a smirk? Was that a smile? Did Kai Hiwatari just smirk at her?

"Hey Hills, you want to join us?" she heard Ray ask her with a warm smile on his face. She shook her other thoughts away and smiled back at him. "You guys should go ahead, I think I'll just stay back here and relax a bit."

"You sure?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. Have fun guys." With that she walked toward the outside of the dojo. A couple of hours later she heard someone come behind her and sit with her. She turned to the side and saw none other than Kai. She didn't say anything and neither did he. She began to feel nervous and something else she couldn't quite figure out.

She stood up and was about to make her way toward the inside of the house.

"Where are you going?"

"I thought you might want to be alone."

"No" he looked at her in the eyes and answered with a light whisper, "Not anymore."

They stared at each other when Hilary caught the double meaning in his answer. She knew what he was referring to and couldn't help but feel touched by his simple answer. She sat down on the grass beside him, enjoying the silence as the warm breeze roamed around them.

* * *

Hilary and Kai sat in his room. He had moved back to his house downtown and oddly enough she had never really seen the place where he lived before. However the talk between them were dragging out a number of emotions.

Hilary looked at her Russian friend who was standing with his back towards her. She studied him for a moment. She didn't want to pry, only help him. "It doesn't have to be like this."

Kai narrowed his eyes. "Well, I'd like to see you standing after going through the things that I've gone through."

"That's the point. Despite what you've been through you're still standing. You were strong then and you're still strong. You were the only one who could defeat Brooklyn. No one else but you."

He clenched his jaw and turned his hands into fists. "That easy, huh? What about the time in Russia? Or the time Wyatt died because of me? I could have helped him but I didn't," he spat out in pure anger.

"It wasn't your fault. No one blames you. You were controlled by Voltaire, it wasn't you. None of it."

"It was me!" he said with deep emotions. "I should have done something. I should have done something to prevent it."

"Alright, there are two things you can do right now" she looked determined in his direction. "You can either run from the past or learn from it. It's time for you to take a stand. Realize that you're going absolutely nowhere by blaming yourself for everything. You've got to live in the present and not in the past – what is it going to be, Hiwatari?"

The moment he heard the tone she used on him made something snap in his mind. The Hilary who was standing in his bedroom wasn't the same teenage girl who followed the Bladebreakers everywhere – no far from it. She had become a woman now. An independent woman who was very much capable of getting what she wanted in her own way.

She took a small pause before continuing. "You own one of the largest companies in Russia, Kai. Everyone looks up to you – including us, your friends. You're a lot stronger than this but I'm sure deep down you already know all this."

A moment of silence passed and neither of them made the effort to rebuild the conversation.

"Since when did the great Hiwatari ever give up?"

"You don't know anything!"

"Then enlighten me? Tell me what you are feeling? Tell me what your thoughts are, your nightmares – Let me inside.." she pleaded him.

She waited for some kind of sign or movement from him, but nothing came. She didn't get a response back and she already knew the answer. He would never let anyone close enough to see the real him. _'I guess I was hoping far too much for what I could get.'_ She thought silently.

She sighed and turned around to pick up her brown leather bag and made her way toward the front door. She stopped midway and turned her head to the side "You're a lot stronger than you think." she said with a faint whisper not sure enough if he had heard her or not.

The gesture made Kai look up in surprise which made him think about how he had behaved in the last few days – or years. He had to let go of his guard and actually reach out for people who wanted to help him. Who wanted to become his friend or perhaps something more without a personal vendetta behind it?

Hilary headed toward the front door and was about to open it when suddenly a hand was placed on the wooden door prevented her from leaving. "Ostavat'sya" he said with the same thick accent and language.

For the first time he had looked into her eyes and she knew he meant it. In that very moment she had somehow managed to witness so many emotions running wild through his crimson colored eyes which gave his problems away. Hilary could see desperation in his eyes alongside the pain and anger for what he had been through his whole life.

"You've got that look."

"What look?"

"The look you carried when you saved me all those years ago at the cliff. The look of protection. If you want to protect me then you have to let me in first." Hilary followed him back into the bedroom while her eyes were still resting on him.

"I know you're not good with emotions, but you're not emotionless. I'm not saying this to make you feel like a bad person or hurt you, but you have to remember that you're a human-being just like everyone else. And it's human nature to make mistakes, Kai. You can fall countless times, but as long as you remember to rise up again – just like Dranzer, the phoenix." She paused slightly trying to read his expression. "It's not like you haven't felt anything through the years."

"You're right. I've felt something. And you know what I've felt?" Kai turned around to face her. "Pain. Despair. Death. I've seen it with my own eyes. And that's something you can't forget overnight. If I let myself care, then I know that I'm going to feel and cause others pain."

"You were trained to be like that, but not anymore. Can't you see you're nothing like that!?"

There was no reply coming from him. Hilary licked her lips as she spoke.

"So you don't care? What about Beyblade, the Tournaments, your rivalry to Tyson? Or the team you were the Captain of? You pushed them to their limits and beyond knowing well enough that they were capable in handling it. Let's go back to my role as a team member though? Why did you give me a chance to stay on the team? A girl, who had no idea how to spin a Beyblade – yet you trusted my instincts when I didn't trust you at first."

Once again there was no reply.

"But of course you only did it for your own good – which got your nearly killed." She recalled the battle between him and Brooklyn.

Even he remembered what had happened that day. Something he tried to suppress ever since the incident. He never wanted to recall those few seconds of his life where something valuable was being taken away from him.

_A figure was walking in the dimly lit hallway of the inner grounds of the bey-stadium. Each step was a struggle and needed far more strength then he had at the moment. Kai fell to his knees on the hard floor, his feet couldn't carry his weight anymore. He was severely injured and beyond exhausted from the intense battle with Brooklyn. This time he didn't need to keep up with the façade anymore. He let it slip in the empty hallway. No one was there to witness him being weak and vulnerable._

_He silently looked up into the light and breathed heavily. "Yeah. It was all worth it. I risked everything, but if I inspired my friends then I'm glad. I had to do it. Now, it's Tyson's turn." He whispered lightly._

_Kai closed his crimson colored eyes which were now full of pain and sorrow yet a faint smile was formed across his lips. "My days of blading are over." The red Phoenix fell from his grasp and onto the floor. He was beyond broken._

_"Dranzer, it's done. You can go." His voice was low and full of emotion. He was going to witness losing her right before his eyes – and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Cracks began to form on the blue beyblade as it shattered into millions of pieces on the floor with a strong cry from the legendary bird._

_"Thank you, my friend." Expressing the final words, Kai fell into a deep unconsciousness as darkness surrounded him._

He came back to reality as if a cold wind had passed him, but the weird thing was that he had gotten her back – Just like the saying; 'In order to rise from its own ashes, a Phoenix first must burn from the ashes.'

"Stop it!" Kai said trying to control his anger. He never wanted to remember that part of his life.

She ignored him and kept going. "You never cared about your friends back in Russia, never cared about Tala when he was in a coma after his battle when he wanted to stop Boris once and for all? Your sudden disappearance had nothing to do with him, right?"

"I said stop it" his hands turned into fists. She was telling the truth. He did care. He had changed. He was no longer the coldhearted Kai who only lived for himself.

He did care about his friends. He did care about Tala, just like the way Tala had cared for him. After all they came from the same place where they supported each other when they had no one else to rely on. Kai had somehow lost it, when he saw the redhead lying in a coma that day. From that moment he wanted to avenge those who had been responsible for the state he was in. Put an end to his enemies once and for all.

And of course her words had stung him in a way he did not want to admit.

He clenched his jaw and he knew she had provoked him in such a way to get a reaction from him.

"Yet you never cared. Believe it or not, Kai, but your actions speak louder than your words. Everyone might not see it, but your friends do. I do!" She paused slightly before continuing. She approached him. "Look me in the eye and tell me that you have never in your life felt anything for someone."

He turned around and shouted. "What do you want me to say? That I enjoyed being the person I was all those years ago? That I had any choice? I lost everything I ever had. My childhood, my family, my identity. I've lost a part of me through the years which I can't get back no matter how much I want to". Kai starred at her not knowing if he had said too much.

"I'm not going to risk losing anything else which is dear to me. It's a risk I can't take." He whispered the last part with fierce determination coming from his eyes. Hilary wasn't sure what he meant by his last words. Did she mean something to him? Dare she say out loud what she was thinking? Yet her fierce expression was replaced by a soft one trying to figure out the words which had been said.

"There are men out there, people who vowed to stay loyal to _him _despite the very fact that he's dead. I'm the only one they're after and I'm the only one who knows what they're capable of doing. If they know my weakness, they'll go after it. Hunt it down like a predator until they've reached to me – with no second thought."

Hilary took a step forward. "But that shouldn't stop you from living your life – in fear…"

"I fear no one!" he suddenly interrupted her which caused the brunette to notice the dangerous glare lingering in his eyes. She saw the sheer commitment he had made to himself – Don't let anyone too close, trying to do everything in his state to protect those who are close to him. Mess with him and you will feel the uncontrolled wrath of the Hiwatari himself.

She and alongside others had witnessed it once – with Tala. It was an incident which happened years ago where one of Voltaire's men were hunting down the Russian team. Other teams were involved as well. A lot of chaos and a few sudden accidents had accrued. Kai and the others had led on to capturing one of the men and held him captive in an old warehouse.

"_Got everything covered?" Bryan asked while getting out from the black van. Spencer took a look around and nodded as he opened the back doors and unleashed a man with hands tied behind his back and a cloth covering his head. Spencer led them toward the old warehouse where everyone else was gathered. _

_They placed him on a chair inside a room where a table was placed as well. Different kind of tools and equipment's was placed on the table. Soon enough they left him inside where both Tala and Kai came in the rather dimmed room. _

_Everyone else was outside the room looking through a glass wall, debating whether they had made the right choice to do this or not. They all had a bad feeling about it, but they couldn't really prevent this from taking place. _

"_Is this even legal? Maybe we should inform Mr. Dickenson or something?" Kenny said while expressing his doubtful mind. _

"_They're handling the situation the best way they can." Ian said as he crossed his arms, eyes never leaving the room. "Besides we've got some contact so this would be legal anyway."_

"_What, with those tools lying on the table? It was a mistake letting them inside with him. I mean, we all know what kind of damage Kai and Tala can do."_

"_Let's not just get into conclusion guys. We cannot forget these past incidents which have been happening to all of us." Ray said as he stood close beside Mariah. _

"_Ray is right," the Spanish brunet spoke. She reached forward and touched the glass wall as her eyes were focused on her Russian boyfriend. "They're doing this to protect us. We have to trust them."_

_The sentence was left to linger in the air between them all. _

_Tala made his way toward the man and removed the cloth from his face. He was in his mid-thirties and had short brown hair and a purple bruise was starting to show on his left eye. _

"_Do you know who we are, Belkin?" The red haired Russian asked as he reached for a tool to use. _**_"_**_You know I'm very curious to know just what they've been telling you. About us," Tala said as he walked around and slowly touching the sharpness the knife had in his hand. _

"_Cyborg mistake and heir who have gone too soft, maybe you've forgotten who you truly are, Ivanov. Do they others know about you? What you've done in your life – about your past?"_

_The redhead stopped behind him. "I would rather choose my words wisely if I was you, considering that your outnumbered, so be careful what you say."_

"_My men will know something is wrong, and they'll come to check up on things."_

"_Why didn't you just bring them along, we could have had a party." as Tala played with the knife. "It could be fun."_

_Kai stood glaring at the man with crossed arms in front of his chest. Tala whistled as he stood behind him. "If only looks could kill." _

_Tala placed his hands on his shoulder and squeezed it hard crushing the bones underneath his touch. Belkin winced slightly. "If only looks could kill," he repeated. "But don't worry, we've got plenty of ideas hos to end this" he said dangerously low. _

"_You tell us what we want to know and we'll maybe consider letting you go?" Kai said never leaving his eyes from the man in front of him. _

"_I'm not buying that" replied James Belkin. _

"_Loyal as always I presume? Give us a few hours and we'll know how to break you."_

_Days of torture had been going on. A sight which was rarely seen from both Hiwatari and Ivanov. _

_Belkin was shaking and wet from the water they had used as method while he was seated on the chair. Blood pouring down from his right arm as scars started to show upon his pale skin. _

_Kai was seated right in front of him. "Still not talking?"_

_There was no respond from him. _

"_Do you know what state you're in?"_

_Kai studied him form a while. "Can you feel your fingers? Your body? In proximally 24 hours your body is going to give up. You'll need water, you'll panic, and you'll start to lack air. In 24 hours you are going to end up on the floor chocking and begging for help. Now if you want to prevent that, you'll tell us everything we want to know. Who do you work for? Where is your organization located? What do you want from us?"_

_Belkin raised his gaze and a laugh began to echo the room. "You think I'm going to tell? Just who the hell do you think you're dealing with?"_

_Kai narrowed his eyes. Belkin turned his attention toward the redhead. "No one is safe! Not even your clown of a girlfriend, Ivanov." He smirked despite the fact that he was in pain. _

"_Especially you, Hiwatari. No one! Every one you get close to will suffer."_

_Tala clenched his jaw and was about to pull another punch, but Kai was far too fast and grabbed Belkin by the collar of his shirt and slammed him up against the hard wall. "You had your chance, Belkin, now it ends right here!"_

_Suddenly the doors were opened and a pink haired woman barged in and stopped the craziness which was taking place. _

"_Stop it! Enough! Both of you, this is getting out of control." _

"_What the hell do you think you're doing?" Kai growled. _

"_I'm here to knock some sense into you both!"_

"_No one asked you to be here, Wong" replied the redhead Russian._

"_In case you haven't noticed, your friends are outside watching you while you put a stunt like this – torturing him. It's enough for him and for you."_

_Kai released Belkin as he fell down to the ground. Kai turned around to face her. "And who the hell do you think we're doing this for, Mariah?"_

_The pink haired woman looked at Kai as she answered. "We already informed Mr. Dickenson, he's on his way. It's not in your hands anymore. Let it be."_

Hilary came back to the reality as she answered. "They should also know what _you're_ capable of doing."

Everyone who had ever met him for the first time thought he was cold and arrogant – even she had been one of those people. He hadn't even noticed her when she met him for the very first time. She had greeted him in a rather good manner which had gone unnoticed by the Phoenix blader.

_Hilary took a few steps forward as she placed her hands on her hips. "Well, that was rude. What's his problem?"_

_"Don't let him bug you. He's like that with everyone – Especially us" Kenny explained as if it was no big deal._

_"So talking isn't one of his strong suits?" The brunet stated._

She automatically formed a negative opinion about him then and couldn't quite figure out what he was doing in a team like the Blade Breakers. And especially if he was trustworthy. At the back of her mind, she still remembered Kenny's words.

_"Hey, slow down, will you. What's the big hurry?" Kenny asked while Hilary dragged him by his arm._

_"I'm worried Kenny. I was up all night thinking about Kai. How long have you known him? Not long enough I'm sure, because there is something not right about him. He cannot be trusted."_

_His expression changed into confusion. "What are you talking about, Hilary? Kai is totally trustworthy. Well, expect that one time he turned evil in Russia."_

But her judgment of him had soon changed into something else – Something much deeper. He had saved her countless times when she was in trouble, not to mention he would look out for his friends and make sure to push their limits in training when he knew they could take it. They had much more potential than what they had thought to begin with.

Kai had even given her a chance to stay on the team, when everyone else had doubted her role as a team member. But he never questioned her. He had proven that she was important for the team, just the way they were.

If he had given her a chance so should she, right? That was the only fair thing to do. And she did. Time after time she couldn't help but once in a while get an opportunity to know who the real Hiwatari Kai really was.

Hilary raised her gaze and noticed that Kai was sitting on the bed in his bedroom while she was standing at the doorway. She was too occupied with her thoughts that she didn't even notice it. She took a few steps toward him.

"You're not alone, Kai! Even just for a moment, let yourself go. Let every thought, every decision go. Just for a brief second to feel – to breathe."

He looked at her with eyes full of emotions. Emotions he thought no one would ever get close enough to see – boy, was he wrong.

Hilary leaned in and buried her face in his chest. Kai didn't know how to react as his mind hadn't really registered anything that was happening. This was something new for him.

Why was Hilary behaving like this? Why was she feeling his pain about something he had gone through? Why were her eyes so sad? He would be lying if he said that he hadn't started to feel… human whenever she was around. He had started to feel something.

Maybe… maybe it was time to finally let go. Let go of the past. Let go of those who haunted him even though they weren't here anymore. They were gone. Dead.

Just… let go and start a fresh new life. Even his teammates who had become his friends had told him over and over again.

Tala had said it too. The red haired Russian, had been worried about his long-time friend and had shown his concern when he was leaving for Japan after the court case.

_Kai was at the airport, ready to board the plane. He stood with Tala, Bryan, Spencer and Ian._

_"So I guess this is it, huh." Bryan said._

_"Yeah…" the Phoenix blader said._

_"Just remember to stay in touch alright." Kai nodded. "And remember that we're only a phone call away and besides we'll do anything to just get a vacation once in a while"._

_A small silence was between them before Tala broke it._

_"We're a family now, Kai and therefore we look out for each other."_

_Kai smirked at the redhead. "Since when did you get so soft, Ivanov?"_

_"If you ever tell anyone about this, I'll get the first ticket to Japan to kick your ass, Hiwatari."_

_"Sure you will". The two stood smirking at each other before Tala reached a hand forward as a sign of they'll meet again in near future._

And then there was Hilary. The only female he had let close to him in a more emotional way. She knew everything that had happened with him and yet she was here. She somehow didn't judge him by the past mistakes he had committed.

His eyes rested on the brunet who had buried her head in his chest. He slowly leaned backwards, feeling the soft material of the bed hit his back and pulling her down with him. He wrapped his arms around her. Maybe it was time to change.

They stayed like this for a while. Hilary could slowly feel her cheeks grow hotter even though she didn't mind the position. She shifted slightly and was about to get up but Kai stopped her. "Stay." The word had so much meaning to her and never in her wildest dreams would she have thought that Kai Hiwatari would say anything like that to her.

The brunet looked into his eyes and saw something she had never seen before. She lowered her body on top of his and listened to his strong heart beat as she closed her eyes.

* * *

To Be Continued.

"Ostavat'sya" means Stay in Russian.

Remember to tell me what you guys think so far, so please, review – BECAUSE REVIEWS ARE LOVE! :)


	3. Strength Does Not Come From Winning

Hello my beautiful readers.

I want to thank all of you who read, reviewed, favored and followed this story – you guys are the best. I'm sending so much love to each and every one of you.

Reading your reviews means the world to me. So please, keep reading and reviewing my work. I would love to hear what you think of the new chapter. :)

Enjoy!

Disclaimer - I do not own Beyblade.

* * *

_**Strength Does Not Come From Winning**_

_Walking along these roads, I hesitate  
I wasn't like this like I am now; don't know why this seems like a dream  
Why is someone becoming mine? Why does the world seem lost now?  
Why do I feel I am not alone anymore?_

Hilary had stayed in Kai's room the whole night. Though the brunette was sound asleep, the Russian who was lying on the couch had a few problems during the night. Kai was currently tossing and turning silently while mumbling a few words – clearly in the middle of a nightmare.

_A young boy in his early teens was strapped to a chair with all kinds of equipment attached to him. His head was hung down and showed no sign of movement whatsoever. The room where he was placed was dark and had only one sort of light coming from the ceiling in the middle of the room._

_The person sitting on the chair was unconscious but could hear faint voices around him. He knew who the voices belonged to. Kai slowly opened his eyes and recognized the place he was in. He tried to move but without luck as part of his body was sore from the grips of the leather straps. His head was throbbing as well. His mind was still fuzzy and couldn't remember anything of what had happened earlier._

_A man in his thirties took a few steps forward and lifted Kai's head by his hair and made him look at him. "Not so smart are you now, young Kai? There is no use in fighting against this. There is nothing you can do to stop all this. Ever! You will suffer just the way you deserve."_

_Kai felt himself panic at those words. Yet the man let out a sinister laugh. "Your mind must be doing fuzzy things right now, but don't worry you're in safe hands, don't be afraid!" Boris took out a needle and made contact with his skin._

_The man released the grip on him and turned around where he made his way toward the door before giving a clear order to the scientists. "Make sure he doesn't remember anything from what he's seen. It's an order from Voltaire. Erase his memory if it's necessary."_

_They began with the procedure._

_Kai struggled all he could but it was no use. The intense shock waves went through his body like a bolt and he tried all he could not to scream out in pain. He gritted his teeth while shutting his eyes and his hands turned into fists but it was no use. The pain was far too great to handle. Yet he tried._

_2 seconds.._

_4 seconds.._

_6 seconds.._

_8 seconds.._

_10 seconds.._

_He screamed out in pain which echoed in the dark empty halls._

Kai shot awake, feeling his heart pound and a cold sweat covered his forehead. He sat up on the couch trying to take a few calm breaths to assure that it was only a dream. It was not reality, but just a dream.

He decided to get up as he didn't feel like getting back to sleep after what he had seen.

He stood by the window and looked down at the clock by the bed. 4:37 a.m. in the morning. He still had a couple of hours before he could begin with his daily work out training.

His crimson colored eyes caught a small box lying on the nightstand beside the bed with his name tag on it. "_To Kai_"

He had seen it before when Hilary first got here in the afternoon. She had carried it with a different look on her face when she approached him. She hadn't really got a chance to give it to him, as the atmosphere had been tense. He took a small glance at the brunette before reaching forward to take the box. He opened it and saw a small necklace with Dranzer's name engraved and with a quote attached to it.

"_Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strength. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength_._ – Some may have won the Championships. May have got the titles at home, but for me – you're the true winner. You've achieved so much on your own will and dedication and it's something which is far more important than getting a few awards or trophies._"

Kai took a small glimpse back toward the bed and saw the brunet peacefully asleep on one side of the bed covered in sheets. They had somehow fallen asleep without realizing it. Yet another memory crept into the back of his mind.

_"Do us a favor and tell her alright?"_

_Kai stood with a raised eyebrow at Tala. "Who?"_

_"Hilary – The girl you can't stop looking at whenever she's around."_

_"Don't know what you're talking about, Tala."_

_"Please, even Bryan and Ian can see it, hell, even your teammates can see it." Tala looked at Kai and could tell that he was debating about something. "It's over, Kai! Everything is over. We can finally start our lives just the way we want to. Make the first move, or else I will." he joked._

_"I thought you were going after Julia?"_

_He smirked. "I might be."_

_Tala's expression changed as he looked at his friend. "She may be the only one who can crack through that thick wall of yours."_

Kai shook his head and walked to the couch to try and get some more sleep.

* * *

A few days later everyone was gathered at Mr. Dickenson's building at the training facility. The guys were already there but needed their last team member – Hilary to arrive. She was a little late as she had to take care of few things before she could meet them.

The brunet came inside the tall building wearing a white shirt and a cream colored skirt just above her knees and a dark brown bag slung over her shoulder. She carried a coffee in her hand. She came inside the facility and saw the guys working out. She spotted Kenny who was sitting on a bench and typing something into his laptop.

Hilary smiled at him when he caught her walking toward him. "Hey."

"Hey Hils!" Tyson yelled across the room.

"Tyson concentrate on your battle," Kenny yelled.

"Jeez, alright! Take it easy. It's just a training session, for fun. Besides this one is easy."

"Hey, no it isn't! I'll show you!" Daichi took a step forward and continued with their battle.

Hilary shook her head as she lightly laughed at their behavior. Even in their twenties, being an adult really didn't change them much. She took a small glimpse around. "How's it going?"

"Fine. Everyone is doing great – more or less."

When she heard his answer her mind couldn't help but wonder where the Phoenix Blader was. "Where's Kai?"

Before Kenny had a chance to answer, Mr. Dickenson came inside the room as he needed to see how their training was going.

"Hey Mr. Dickenson." Hilary smiled at the elder man.

"Hello Hilary. How are you all doing? How are the young boys?"

"I think they're doing great."

Mr. Dickenson took a tour around to see how each member was doing with his training. He saw Tyson and Daichi's battle at the dish. "Daichi, you need to shield from the attacks and Tyson, concentrate on the game."

"Bah, why does everyone keep telling me this?"

Hilary rolled her eyes. "Because you're not doing it, Captain Obvious."

Mr. Dickenson moved further down the room toward Ray and Max who were running on one of the machines. He looked at how fast they were running and the fact that they were keeping up with the speed. "Excellent speed, boys! Just keep up with the limit."

The two nodded as they slowly slowed down and took a break to catch their breaths.

Mr. Dickenson glanced around as if he was looking for someone. "Where is Kai?"

Tyson and Daichi both stopped with the battle as it was a tie. Tyson caught his Beyblade into his hand and answered. "He's down the hall. Told us that he needed to warm up first."

_'So that's where he is,'_ Hilary thought to herself. They all followed the older man into the other room until they were standing in front of a glass wall looking into the room.

The chains holding the punching bag rattled as the Phoenix Blader kept punching with rapid fire punches. Jumping lightly on his toes with his arms raised, right foot back from the left and began to punch the bag with fierce determination.

"Woah – that's some stamina he's got." It was amazing to watch him train. How much could he handle already? Tyson thought.

"I guess Kai will be Kai, huh?" the Chinese friend spoke.

"He'll do his best in almost whatever it is" Max said.

"Yeah" Tyson nodded.

They were all amazed at how strong their friend's will power actually was. He was always training at full speed whenever he had the chance.

Kai stopped suddenly pausing a bit before he looked to the side and caught his ex-teammates looking at him through the glass. He knew they were watching him. Kai caught Hilary's eyes and gave her a small smirk as he reached out for his water bottle.

_'He caught me staring at him of course,'_ she thought to herself.

"Very well boys, keep up with the good work."

A couple of coughs could be heard. "Hils, why don't you stay a bit and see how Kai's doing?" She caught Ray winking at her while wearing a smirk. The others were making their way back to the other room leaving the brunet behind with their captain.

Eventually the training was over and they all got home. Hilary and Kai went to Kai's place. She knew he was rich when he could afford a luxury place he was living in. He was the heir of a multifunctional company. It couldn't get bigger than that.

It was rather big house he had brought over the years. He had sold the old mansion, _'maybe a sign as moving on and letting go of his past'_ Hilary thought.

She had only been to his house once, but at that time she never focused on the surroundings. Her eyes therefore lingered to each and every detail which was imprinted. The rooms were large yet they held a sign of simplicity and sophistication. Her eyes traveled to the most surprising thing – a grand piano placed neatly by the living room. She wondered if he could play it at all or if it was just a decoration piece among other things. She would love to hear him play one day if she ever got to that stage.

She took a small glance around the place and noticed everything was designed in a modern style. Everything was well organized and she quite liked it. On the table were a couple of files about his business.

Her eyes found something blue and red which could only be one thing. Dranzer – a way of telling how powerful he was against his opponent. No one had ever matched the power he had. Sure Kai had lost to Tyson who became the World Champion, but again who was the person that trained them to be so good?

She sat in the living room taking a look around as Kai had disappeared to take a shower. Thirty minutes later he returned only to find him talking on a cellphone in a language where she only picked up a few words here and there. She concluded he must be speaking Russian with Tala on the other line.

She watched him go through a file as he kept talking. It was probably about his business. Hilary couldn't help but study him for a brief while. He had accepted her as a close friend – or perhaps something more than that, someone who could talk to him and feel secure to tell her the deep secrets of his life. Sure there were things the guys knew, but he somehow had a whole different relationship with the brunette. She on the other hand was happy and relieved that he finally started to open up. Even if it meant a small talk or sitting in pure silence.

Kai made his way to his room as he kept talking to Tala.

_"Is she with you?"_

"Who?"

_"You know who."_

"Tala!" he said warningly.

_"You even got some scars to prove that she means something to you – far more than you think."_

The two toned Blader narrowed his eyes. "I don't have time for your wisdom right now."

But it never stopped him from talking further. "_Everyone knows what happened that night. You risked your own life to save her.. to save Hilary._"

Tala could hear him sigh and knew he was about to hang up on him. "_I want you to move on. Move on from small conversations and your endless obsession about the red bird and your white scarf. I mean it weighs a ton. How did you even carry it through the years?_"

"You already know that. I've told you countless of times."

"_Right. Bring me some news when you come visit us next time –and it better be good._"

Tala ended the phone call as Kai was put to heavy thoughts. He remembered that night he mentioned. He indeed got a scar to prove it.

It was an incident which happened some time ago. He had risked his own life to save her which caused a couple of injuries. She was part of the team – several years ago, and that time there was no team, no Blade breakers anymore. It was long gone as they had all moved on. She was just a woman to him – a friend, a dear friend.

_Hilary had been admitted in the hospital and they gathered, waiting for her to wake up._

_Max was sitting on a chair and wore a sad yet a relieved expression on his face by the thought that she was okay. "Kai risked his life to save Hilary."_

_Ray nodded. "Yeah."_

_"Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" Tyson said as they all shared a look with each other._

_"I doubt she knows it."_

_"Well, she needs to know."_

_"No she doesn't!" a deep voice emerged from the hallway. They all looked up and saw Kai with a bandage around his arm. "It doesn't matter who saved her."_

_"But doesn't she at least deserve to know?" Daichi asked._

_Tyson studied his longtime friend for a brief moment before he spoke. "Why don't you want her to know the truth?"_

_He turned around and walked down the hallway without giving any answer._

Kai rubbed his forehead and took a small glance back at the living room where the brunette was.

Sometime later in the evening:

It was just past 9 p.m. and Hilary was still at Kai's place. He looked at her and wondered if she had to go home to her apartment. "Do you need me to drive you home?"

She shook her head. "No need to, I'll just take a cab, don't worry about it."

"You can stay over if you want to. I can take the guest room and you can sleep in mine."

She couldn't help but blush. She had stayed with him before, so why was she blushing? Maybe, because she had fallen for him? Maybe he had too?

"Uhm.. sure, thanks."

He led her to his room where he pulled out a T-shirt she could sleep in. He handed it to her and left so she could change in privacy. After a short while she was lying in Kai's bed since he told her to sleep there. They were both hoping they could get some sleep.

However this was not entirely possible. Throughout the night Kai couldn't sleep – again. He stood up from the guest room bed and made his way toward the kitchen to get something to drink. He poured some water for himself and drank it as he stood in front of the sink.

He took a small glance at the clock on the wall and sighed. He wondered what time it would be in Russia, although he knew that his friends were busy sleeping their life away – but it didn't stop the two toned haired man from gathering his cell phone as he dialed a familiar number.

He waited patiently for someone to pick up at the other end. No one picked up at the first dial, so he ended up dialing the same number again. However this kept on for a few minutes and this time around someone did pick up – on the seventh call.

"_Hello?_" a sleepy yet annoyed voice spoke.

"Tal' you awake?"

The red-haired Russian opened his eyes despite the fact that they were so heavy from the sleep which was now disturbed by the incoming call. He recognized the voice straight away.

"_Kai! What the hell? Do you know what time it is? Of course I'm not up; it's 5 in the freakin' morning. What is wrong with you?_"

"Right, I should have known."

"_What is it? Something wrong?_" he could easily hear the concern in Tala's question. Despite the fact that he had pissed him off by calling him in the morning, he still couldn't help but worry about his best friend.

"Nothing's wrong. I just couldn't sleep."

"_And you decided to call all the way to Russia? What do you want me to do? Read you a bedtime story or something, although I thought you had Tyson to do that stuff?_" he smirked slightly as he answered.

Kai ignored the question and was debating heavily why he had called in the first place. "Remember the time when you told me that we all needed to move on. Move on with our lives?"

Tala sat up in his bed furrowing his eyebrows, not fully understanding where the conversation was heading toward. "_Yeah.._"

"What did you mean by it? How did you know of you had moved on or not?"

It took a moment for the Russian redhead to respond. Tala noticed the way he sounded at the particular moment – just the same way when they were in the Abbey years ago.

"_I just knew_" he told Kai. "_Whether_ _it's safe that shouldn't stop us from trying to live a normal life. We've all been through with our past and it's over. Being fully aware of that and what kind of person you were before – yet, she stays with you and claims that she can see something in you which no else can._"

Kai already knew who he was referring to. "Julia?"

"_Yeah, I thought I didn't deserve to have a life on my own, but I guess she proved to me that I did._" Kai stood calmly listening to Tala. In a way, they both shared the same thought – if they had deserved to get another life. "_And so do you, Kai, it that's what's bothering you lately?_"

Kai ran a hand through his messy hair. "I don't know?"

"_Look you can't stop letting people into your life._"

Kai exhaled loudly and knew he had a point.

"_If you're still stuck on the moving on part, try to open your eyes for once toward the woman who's been reaching out for you in the past months or even years, you idiot!_"

Kai glared even though Tala wasn't even in the same room as him. He could easily hear the smirk spreading over his face. "_Not so great are you, Hiwatari?_" this caused the two toned haired man to roll his eyes.

"_Now that you've done receiving the pep talk, I'm going to hang up and get some sleep._"

Kai nodded. "Thanks Tal'."

"_By the way, your timing always sucks, Kai._" With that Tala had hung up on him leaving Kai shaking his head with a small smile across his lips.

He made his way back to the guest room, where he noticed light coming from his room. _'Why is the light still on?'_ He walked toward the room and stood in the doorway. The brunet was awake and sitting on the bed.

"Are you okay? What are you doing up?"

She raised her gaze and saw him standing with his arms crossed in front of his chest – without any shirt on. Damn him for making her blush all the time.

She tore her eyes away from him and coughed lightly. "Uh, yeah.. I'm fine, I guess I just couldn't sleep. Sorry if I disturbed you."

He came inside and made his way toward her. "Don't worry about it. Do you need anything?"

".. No."

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure, Hilary?"

She bit her lip. How hard could it actually be? "I think I could use some water. I'll just go and get it." She was about to stand up, but Kai stopped her.

"Stay here, I'll get it for you." with that he left and returned a few minutes with a glass of water. He placed it on the nightstand.

"Try to get some sleep, alright?" He was about to turn around but Hilary grabbed his hand before he could leave.

"Stay," she whispered.

He looked into her eyes and saw something. "Please, I don't want to be alone."

He paused, debating. He didn't want her to sleep alone if it made her feel insecure. She moved over so there was space enough for him. He climbed inside the sheets and was surprised at how her body felt beside his. Maybe it was finally time to take a new step.

_Take the step, Hiwatari._

He noticed how beautiful she was, especially up close. There were so many thought running around in his mind and for the first time he wanted to change. As he looked into her eyes he saw no pity, shame or disrespect. He only saw love and compassion. Something he had longed for in years. He couldn't ignore the feeling anymore. And the truth was it wasn't new to him. He had felt it before but somehow managed to suppress it. Not anymore. Not right now.

He carefully leaned forward until their foreheads touched, and their hot breaths mingled with each other. "I'm always going to be here, Hils – no more running. It's over." Kai wrapped his arm around her as she snuggled closer to his bare chest, inhaling his scent. He closed his eyes and whispered to himself. "I'm always going be here, right next to you. Always, I promise!"

He leaned forward and kissed her temple and held her through the rest of the night. And for the first time he slept through the night without waking up from thoughts or incoming dreams.

* * *

Hilary woke when the sun hit her face. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times before she remembered where she was. She noticed that the bed wasn't empty. Kai's arm was still wrapped around her waist and he was lying flat on his stomach with his head on the pillow. She could feel his bare skin touch hers. She turned around and couldn't help but smile at how peaceful he looked – almost like a different person. She carefully reached out and gently brushed away the grey bangs that had fallen into his face.

She wanted to be a part of his life now – a part of his life and principles. A soft look began to form on her face as she thought about the last few years and what they all had gone through.

"We all need you, Kai. I need you! More than you'll ever know" she whispered lightly knowing well enough that he didn't hear her.

Her eyes caught the scars and traced them gently. His skin was so smooth yet strong. She could feel his muscles he had trained so hard to get.

She unwrapped his arm and decided to let him sleep. She was going to make sure that he rested today, even if he complained about it when he woke up.

She stood up and headed toward the bathroom to take a shower. She returned thirty minutes later to find him still sound asleep. She made her way toward the kitchen to make some breakfast. She opened a few cupboards and the refrigerator to find something she could make. She saw some flour, sugar, milk and eggs and began to make pancakes.

Meanwhile Kai had woken up and noticed that the bed was empty. He looked to the side and saw the time was already past noon.

He sighed as he stretched out before noticing some noise coming from the kitchen area. He got out of the bed and walked down the hallway and saw Hilary making breakfast. Kai couldn't help but think how delicate and feminine she looked while moving around. She was bossy and stubborn at times but she had grown on him in a way he was surprisingly fond of. He had to admit that he liked having her around – having her close to him.

Tala had been right! His red haired best friend was right. He knew she was the only one who could break through the thick block of ice he had put on for years. _'I guess I have to thank Tala for this one,'_ Kai thought to himself. But on the other hand he wasn't even sure whether to tell him or not as it will only cause an extra boost to his massive ego.

Kai shook his head and stepped into the kitchen. "Morning."

Hilary, startled by his voice, turned around where she saw him standing there. "Morning." Her eyes wandered down to his bare chest and couldn't help but blush a little.

"When did you wake up?" he asked.

"Half an hour ago. I was just looking through a couple of things to make for breakfast. I hope pancakes are fine?"

He reached out and wrapped an arm around her. She turned to face him as she looked into his crimson colored eyes. He stood staring at her and leaned forward. He placed a kiss on her forehead and she closed her eyes. The simple gesture meant a lot to her as Kai was different from the other guys. Kai respected her and wanted her to feel completely comfortable in his presence.

He starred back at her as she opened her eyes. "It's perfect." She heard him say.

However, he was referring to something else she didn't quite catch. Hilary smiled. "I'm going to take a shower and I'll be back." She nodded and saw him leave for the bathroom.

She stood back with a strange feeling in her stomach. It almost felt like she was a part of a dream and she could wake up anytime. But this wasn't a dream. It was reality. She had managed to get through Kai's wall and reach him. Never in her lifetime would she ever forget that. She was going to hold on to him even if she had to break a few invincible walls along the way.

* * *

To Be Continued.

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Until we meet again - Take care. ^^


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